


Hidden Love

by dip_and_pip_trash



Series: PFF Bingo 2019 [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Friends to Lovers, M/M, On the Run, Phandom Fic Fests: Bingo, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 17:24:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20764139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dip_and_pip_trash/pseuds/dip_and_pip_trash
Summary: The Wizarding War has begun and Dan knows one thing. He needs to get Phil away. But being on the run isn’t easy. Especially not with growing feelings towards your best friend.Written for the PFF Bingo under the Prompt 'Writer's choice'





	Hidden Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece that I wrote for the Phandom Fic Fest Bingo under the 'Writer's choice' prompt.

The house was quiet and that could only mean one thing. Dan’s parents were not at home. Probably at some Death Eater meeting. It was becoming more of a common occurrence as time went on. As nervous as it made Dan, he was thankful to not have them home as often. Less stress and less pressure to join Voldemort.

This is how it had been for as long as Dan could remember. His house had always been filled with dark magic and Dan’s fears had increased with age. His parents always had plans for Dan to carry on the family name, becoming the Slytherin prince he should have been. Plans for Draco Malfoy and himself. Never friends, people like them were too powerful to have friends. But almost like co-owners. Of what Dan would never know.

Partly because he went and got sorted into Gryffindor and partly because he had hated Draco Malfoy from the moment the two of them reached Hogwarts. Disappointment for Dan’s parents but this sorting was met with nothing but joy for Dan. Finally he would be able to make his own story and his own life. 

And that’s exactly what he did. He studied well, made friends and even tried out for Quidditch one year. Granted he ended up in the hospital wing but at least he tried. And he’d made Phil laugh.

Phil. Kind, gentle, Hufflepuff Phil. The type of person who wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone another human. Dan’s best friend throughout the entirety of Hogwarts. Since that fateful day in first year when Phil literally fell into Dan’s compartment of the train. Dan had spent many Summer days with the Lesters in Manchester and they were honestly the best memories of his whole life. Phil had never met the Howell parentals. Mainly for one small reason.

Phil was muggleborn. With Dan being a pureblood and having parents with a dark past, it was always way too risky to allow Phil to meet his parents. They knew about him and of course tried every year to get Dan to drop his best friend to no avail. He was just Dan’s friend and they couldn’t do anything about it.

As Dan walked down the stairs of the Howell estate, he saw the door open of his dad’s chamber room. This office was normally out of bounds for Dan while his parents were home. But they weren’t home now. Adrian was at their Grandmother’s. With the exception of the house elves, Dan was completely and utterly alone. So he stepped into the chamber, a place he had only been a handful of times before. The last time Dan had entered this room, he knocked a potion over and was covered in boils for a week straight. But he was very young and now age 17, he knew better. Don’t touch, keep away from cabinets and use eyes only.

Dan’s eyes instantly found his father’s desk and looked at the file that was on top of it. It had big red letters spelling out “MINISTRY PLANS. STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL”. Dan knew that one of his rules was to not touch, but he had to know what was happening in the wizarding world. Since Dumbledore had died, the wizarding world had been a much darker place. Right now the only thing holding it together was that the good side still had the Ministry of Magic but as Dan looked at the file it was clear this wasn’t going to last for very long.

_ “Geminio,”  _ Dan spoke clearly, pointing his wand at the piece of paper in front of him which instantly doubled. Dan picked up the copy that he had and instantly ran up to his bedroom and slammed the door shut. His breathing staggered after he had ran up the stairs and he then collapsed onto his bed and looked at the copied document in his hand.

Dan opened the paper and looked at the first page. The first was basically talking about the death eaters and their plans to take over the Ministry which Dan had guessed would happen anyway. Dan read on about the murdering of muggles and then finally came across a section that was simply called ‘Magic stealers’.

This was a section all about muggle-born people and claims many of the purebloods had that they had stolen magic from wizards and witches. According to a new law they would have to register and then there would be trials for them to prove they had magical relatives. If not, Dan read that they would have their magic taken from them and be sentenced to Azkaban. The thought of this made Dan freeze up with fear and look around his room. At the bottom of that piece of paper, Dan saw an addition in his own father’s handwriting with a name that made Dan’s blood run cold.

_ Philip Lester (Dan’s mudblood friend) _

Knowing that Phil was in danger provoked something inside Dan. Within minutes, he was packing his bags with anything that he needed. He had to get to Phil. He had to get Phil hidden and away from the public eye before Voldemort and his followers properly took over. A radio, books, and clothes were all being thrown into a trunk by Dan and soon he was finished. 

Being mid-July, Dan had not passed his apparition exams. It was booked for a few weeks time. Dan knew he didn’t have much time to actually do his test and get his license. He had done well in his lessons though and he knew that he could do it. He picked up his trunk, imagined and within moments a crack noise could be heard.

Dan opened his eyes and smiled, looking around and seeing the bedroom of his best friend. A place that he had spent many summers and the only place, apart from Hogwarts, that actually felt like home. Dan set his trunk down and around the room. Plants littered the shelves, Phil’s one true love. The boy’s obsession with Herbology and plants was one of Dan’s favourite things about him. Dan was just looking at one of the plants when the door opened, making Dan jump and a woman gasped.

“Dan!” Kathryn Lester stood there, holding a basket filled with clothes “We weren’t expecting you today,” She said softly and then looked at him worriedly. “Is everything alright?” 

Dan looked around the room and sighed. He had to tell her, he knew that, but there was something about having to tell your best friend and his family that they are in danger. “Where is Phil actually? I don’t want to have to tell this again. I would like to tell everyone together. It's really serious and I don’t want you to worry but this is something that has to be done. Do you and Nigel still own that holiday place in The Isle of Man?” He then asked. He saw the look of worry going across Kath’s face and sighed. This woman was really like a mother to him and the fact that he was going to be ripping her son away from her. 

The tension in the room was broken by the front door opening downstairs. Both Dan and Kath walked down the stairs to see Nigel and Phil walking in with bags full of shopping. Phil looked up and his face broke out in a huge grin. 

“Dan!” He exclaimed but then his face turned to confusion when he looked at his mother’s face, “What’s going on?”

Once they were all settled, Dan explained everything. He talked about the darkness, his parents being more absent than usual and finally told them about the document that he found in his father’s office and all the things the ministry were planning. Kath and Nigel both looked equally worried. Being Muggles, it must have been horrible learning about the true horrors that were living in the same world as their own. Dan knew that Phil kept this side of things very sheltered.

“What about my parents? Where will we go? How long will we be gone?” Phil asked once he and Dan were in the comfort of his bedroom. Dan sighed and looked at him.

“I think your parents will be safe in the Isle of Man. No one is going to go looking there. I don’t know where me and you will go. Do your parents have a tent we could use? I think we would have to keep moving along. You know I don’t know how long we will be gone. It could be weeks and it could be months. I won’t let us come back until I know that you’re going to be safe. You have to understand that much.”

Phil nodded but looked around his room. That was when he looked at Dan’s trunk and laughed “Did you really this we would be camping with you pulling around a giant trunk?” He laughed which caused Dan to laugh as well. Of course, Phil would think of some kind of joke to make Dan feel better.

It took them 2 days in total to pack and move everything to the Isle of Man. Dan and Phil were experts in Apparating by the end of those two days. Nigel had found a decent sized tent for the boys to take on their travels and given them things to keep them happy and alive, including muggle money so they could buy food for themselves. It was finally time for Dan and Phil to leave. With nothing but their backpacks which had now been enchanted with Undetectable Extension charms. 

Dan tried to stand back and let the Lester’s say goodbye to their son but Kath was having none of it and pulled Dan towards them and hugged him tightly. “Take care of each other,” She whispered into his ear as they hugged each other, her eyes filled with tears as Dan and Phil started to walk away from the house. 

It had been months. Months of constant moving around and enchanting various locations. Christmas had passed, Phil’s birthday had passed. They had quickly popped back to the Isle of Man for that. It was risky but Dan wanted Phil to spend his birthday with his parents and it was also so Dan could make sure they were okay. They were, they had met some lovely people on the island and even talked about selling their home in Manchester to come and move to the Isle permanently as they were loving it so much. Dan was happy for them, really happy.

However, things between him and Phil were heading in a direction that they weren’t used to. Dan’s feelings towards his best friend were growing faster than Dan had ever thought possible. He’d always had a small crush on his best friend but this was totally different. Maybe it was the fact that they had spent every minute with each other for the past few months in very close quarters, literally side by side in their tiny muggle tent, but Dan couldn’t stop thinking about Phil.

It was the very start of May when Dan was listening to the radio. They were near the Lake District but other than that, Dan didn’t know too much about their surroundings. Phil had chosen this spot for them as he used to come here with his family. Dan wouldn't complain. It was a beautiful area filled with nature. 

The radio, however, didn’t really offer much. There wasn’t a Dumbledore’s Army meeting scheduled for today but most days Dan left the radio on just in case an emergency transmission came through on it. He looked over and saw Phil walking towards him. The sun was beginning to set and Phil looked amazing. Dan grinned over and let out a laugh when he saw that Phil was holding a plant. 

“What did you find Mr Herbology?” Dan asked, an amused expression on his face. Phil grinned and looked at him. He held up a beautiful plant that looked far too perfect.

“Primrose. It’s not supposed to be found in Summer in this area. But I found one… Okay, so I may have found one that needed some love and used magic to help it grow. But I still found one,” Phil started and then held it out. “For you.” 

Dan took the flower and looked at it. He mumbled his gratitude and then looked around. “How crazy is it that this time last year, we were still at Hogwarts, thinking our biggest troubles would be our exams. Now we’re in a forest, hiding from our world.” Phil then turned to look at Dan and leaned his head on Dan’s shoulder. 

“At least we still have each other,” Phil mumbled and the two of them looked at the now darkened sky. Dan bit his lip. Now would be perfect, maybe he could tell Phil how he felt and they could just forget about everything and start a life for themselves. Dan opened his mouth to start but then he was soon cut off by the radio bursting into action.

_ “Lightning has struck, I repeat, lightning has struck!”  _ Blared from the radio. Phil looked at Dan as the two of them jumped up. “Hogwarts?” Phil breathed. Dan took a deep breath and nodded. With a flick of his wand, their tent was packed up. Following the instructions repeated in the radio message, the two linked their hands and were in Hogsmeade within the next few seconds.

Dan was panicking. A battle was in full swing all around him but to make everything worse, he’s lost Phil. Phil had run off with some of the other’s to help out in a different part of Hogwarts while Dan had gone with Neville and Seamus to burn the bridge outside Hogwarts down. Thankfully it had gone well but now he had absolutely no clue where Phil was if he was even alive. Dan’s stomach dropped at that thought. The thought that Phil could be gone. They were fighting though. Dan had already seen dead bodies being carried into the Great Hall. 

He spotted Ginny in a crowd and ran over to her. The two had become friends during their time in Dumbledore’s army and he hoped she could help him out. “Ginny!” Dan gasped as he stumbled over to her. She instantly looked over at him and saw a gash on his arm that a death eater had given him during the fight. She looked concerned but Dan shook his head and looked around. “Have you seen Phil?” He asked quickly.

Ginny shook her head and sighed. “No Dan. I haven’t. I saw him a while ago near the greenhouses but I haven’t seen him since,” She said but then seeing the look on Dan’s face, spoke again. “I’m sure he’s okay Dan.” Dan nodded and then looked up at her. 

“I need to find him. I need to tell h-” Dan’s voice was cut off by a loud bang nearby. Ginny pulled him to the side as a death eater stormed around the corner and ran in a different direction.

“I know. Go! find your man,” Ginny whispered to him before running off in the opposite direction to the death eater. Dan took a few deep breaths before started to walk in his own direction. He wasn’t totally sure where he was going to be going but something was drawing him over to a certain location. He couldn’t find Phil. He didn’t know where he was. He was lost in Hogwarts and wanted nothing more than to be in their little tent, watching the stairs and telling their stupid ghost stories. 

Dan walked into the Great with others, helping people put the dead to rest here and getting treated. He still hadn’t found Phil and was scanning the floor, expecting to see the black mop of hair and the eyes closed. Imagining himself going back to Kath and Nigel and having to break the news to them that their son was dead. 

Instead, Dan’s thoughts were interrupted by a body coming into contact with his own. A familiar body. Phil’s body. Dan leaned into his shoulder and let out some tears as they hugged. “I couldn’t find you. I thought you had died,” Dan cried out. Phil moved them over to a more secluded spot of the Great Hall and cupped Dan’s face.

“I’m here. Don’t worry. I’m never leaving you ever again,” Phil vowed and then leaned towards Dan. The two embracing into a gentle and soft kiss. For a moment, Dan forgot everything that was happening. It was just the two of them. Together. In a perfect moment.

The atmosphere was happy but Dan was exhausted, resting his head on Phil’s shoulder. He was listening to Phil tell a tale about their adventure in the tent. The war was over. Harry Potter had slain Voldemort and the good side came out victorious. Dan didn’t know what had happened to his parents but he didn’t care. Over the room, his eyes met with Ginny who smiled at him and then looked up at Phil. Dan nodded at her, a sort of silent communication across the room. She nodded, still smiling as she rested her head on her mother’s shoulder. 

Dan placed the cup he had been holding on the table in front of him, only filled with some tea leaves. Phil looked at Dan, ending his conversation and smiling. “Let’s go home,” He mumbled. Dan nodded and stood up, feeling a little shaky with exhaustion but Phil’s arm was soon around him. After a few goodbye’s, they left Hogwarts and apparated home.

And when Kath and Nigel saw their boys, hand in hand, walk through the door and mumble “We’re home.” Tears ran on. Hugs were given.

And for the first time in his life, Dan meant it. He was home.

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my Tumblr](https://dip-and-pip-trash.tumblr.com/)


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